Elevatoe



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. LAWTON.

ELEVATOR.

No. 310,063. Patented Dec. 30, 1884.

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W-ITNESSESI? H 1.

NVEN UF CJGJ M 00 2g V; x W

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- W.'LAWTON.

ELEVATOR. No. 310,063. Patented Dec. 30, 1884.

INVENTDF\'3 NlTE \VALTER LrUVTON, OF \VINTHROP, ASSIGNOR OF FIVE-EIGHTHSTO E. VELCH, OF CAMBRIDGE, AND JAMES S. ROGERS, OF ROOKPORT, MASS.

ELEV/(To R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,063, dated December30, 1884-.

Application tiled June 9, 1884.

T 60% whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, XVALTER LA\VTON, of \Vinthrop, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvementsin Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to elevators composed of a series of bucketsattach ed to endless chains supported by chain wheels or pulleys in asuit- IO able frame-work, and adapted to raise coal or other material inthe form of lumps or grains, and discharge it at the highest pointreached by the buckets in their upward movement.

Heretofore the material raised. has been discharged out of the mouth ofeach bucket by the inversion or tipping of the bucket as it passes overthe upper supporting-wheel. The objection to this method of emptying thebuckets is the difficulty, if not impossibility, of arranging a spout orchute so that it will catch all the material discharged, the buckets indischarging being liable to scatter their contents, thus causing waste,and in the case of coal creating much dust and dirt.

My invention has for its object to prevent this obj eetion, and enabletheelevator-buckets to discharge their contents with precision into achute or guide arranged to conduct the ma terial to the desired point.

To this end the invention consists in providing the buckets with hingedinner sides held in place by suitable catches, and in the provision ofdevices adapted to disengage said catches and allowthe hinged side ofeach bucket to yield and discharge the contents into a fixed spoutplaced between the ascending and descending portions of the elevator,devices being provided for automatically cl osing the hinged sides alterthe discharge, all of which I will now proceed to describe.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figures 1 and 2 reprcsentelevations of an elevator of the class to whichmy invention relates. Fig. 3 represents a vertical section on line 00at, Fig. 2.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings I have shown an elevator composed of endlesssprocket-chains a a, running on sprocketwheels 7) I), and a series of(X0 model.)

buckets, -c, attached at their ends to said chains, the buckets beingadapted to move with the chains, and thus alternately descend and takeup the coal or other material to be elevated, and ascend with suchmaterial. The arbors of the wheels I) b are mounted in a suitableframe-work, e, which may be adaplr ed to slide vertically in asupporting-frame,

f, resting on a car or other support, which isv provided with suitablemechanism for raising and lowering the frame a, to adapt the elevator tothe varying height of the surface of the accumulation of material fromwhich the buckets receive their supply, said surface being lowered bythe continued removal of the material, and being raised and lowered bythe tides when contained in the hold'of a vessel. The arbors of thewheels I) b are provided with sprocket-wheels I) b, on which runs adriving sprocket-chain, 'a, which is carried over a sprocket-wheel, 7),on a driving-shaft, to which power is suitably applied to drive saidchain, and thus move the series of buckets.

The construction above described is common and well known, and forms nopart of my invention.

In carrying out my invention I provide each bucket with an inner side,2, which is hinged or pivoted at 3, so thatit constitutes a door or gateadapted to swing inwardly from the bucket, and permit the discharge ofthe contents thereof into the space between the ascending and descendingbuckets. The swinging edge of the hinged side 2 is held byspring-catches i when the hinged side is in place. \Vhen each bucket inits ascent reaches the pointwhere its contents are to be discharged, thecatches 1 meet rollers or other suitable devices, j; affixed to thesupporting frame, and are disengaged by said rollers from the hingedsides, which are thus released, and are allowed to swing inwardly, thusallowing the coal in the buckets to pass from the inner side of eachbucket in succession into a spout or chute, 7;, which extends 95outwardly from the space between the ascending and descending buckets. Ihave found that'by thus discharging the contents of the buckets allliability of scattering and wasting the coal or other material isobviated, the 100 coal being discharged compactly and accurately intothe chute, and guided thereby to the desired point. As the buckets passover the upper supporting-wheels after discharging, the hinged sidepieces, 2, are partially closed by contact with an extension, 7;, of thechute 7a, or any suitable fixed object. Below said extension 7a arerollers, m, mounted on spring-arms n, and arranged to bear on the hingedside pieces, 2, of the descending buckets, and press them against thebuckets until the catches z' re-engage them, and thus pre pare thebuckets to be again filled.

I claim- 1. In an elevator of the class described, the buckets havinghinged inner sides adapted to permit the discharge of the contents ofthe buckets into the space between the ascending and descending buckets,as set forth.

2. In an elevator, the buckets having hinged inner sides combined withcatches or holding devices therefor, and means for disengaging Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 5th day of June, 1884.

\VATIIIER -I1A\VTON.

\Vitnesses:

G. F. B OWN, A. L. XVHITE.

